Topic: lawsuits

In an ironic twist to Apple's ongoing worldwide legal battles, a German patent court on Thursday invalidated an Apple property asserted against Google and Samsung because a video of Steve Jobs presenting the feature onstage predates the filing, and is thus considered prior art in the country.

In a decision handed down by the Tokyo District Court on Thursday, Apple has been ordered to pay $3.3 million to a Japanese inventor for infringing on patents with technology involving the iPod click wheel.

On Friday, a federal judge barred Apple from entering into further price-fixing agreements with other parties, and also ordered the that the iPad maker bring on an external compliance monitor in order to ensure the company's iBookstore does not again violate antitrust laws.

Modifications Apple has made to its FaceTime video calling service due to a lost patent lawsuit are reportedly causing complaints from customers, as well as a hefty $2.4 million per month fee for relay server costs.

Two of the publishers named as colluders with Apple in the Justice Department's iBookStore price fixing antitrust case against Apple have already begun contacting former customers, alerting them that a "plan of distribution" has been proposed to the court for a final settlement payout.

After being hit with 171 lawsuits from non-practicing intellectual property owning entities in the last five years, Apple has further solidified its place as the No. 1 target for so-called patent "trolls."

The district court judge presiding over Apple's e-books antitrust case said on Tuesday that she plans to require the company take on an external antitrust monitor, but expects the final terms of the injunction to not restrict other facets of the iTunes business.

Apple and Samsung will not have to publicly disclose the financial details both companies submitted to a U.S. court in the course of their ongoing patent litigation, according to a federal appeals panel.

The Department of Justice on Friday revised their proposal to punish Apple for iBook antitrust violations, alleging that the Cupertino company lied to the government about the manner in which the App Store operates and that changes to rules governing in-app purchases were designed to cripple Amazon's competitive Kindle app.

The U.S. Patent and Trademark Office has decided to comply with anonymous requests to reexamine a total of three Apple patents, all of which pertain to litigation with Samsung, with one also being asserted against Motorola in Florida.

A lawsuit claiming Apple has a monopoly over apps sold through the iTunes App Store was thrown out on Thursday, with plaintiffs found to lack grounds for complaint as they had never purchased the apps in question.

An order issued on Tuesday by U.S District Court Judge Denise Cote, who is presiding over the Justice Department's antitrust case against Apple's e-book pricing policies, notes all parties must by ready for a damages trial tentatively scheduled for May 2014.

Apple was dealt a significant win in its ongoing patent duel with Samsung on Friday when the U.S. International Trade Commission handed down a ruling that will likely see the ban of infringing products made by the South Korean company.

Ahead of a crucial decision on punishment in Apple's e-book antitrust case, the U.S. Department of Justice has accused the iPad maker once again of conspiring with major book publishers to file motions in opposition.